Are you one of those people who sees the world only in black and white? Or do you know someone like that? A person who knows right from wrong, has their life totally sorted and knows exactly where they are headed? Who is 100% happy with their life?

If you are one of those people then I doff my metaphorical hat to you.

For I’m nowhere near there. I live in a world of grey.

50,000 shades of grey. Without the kinky stuff you will be glad to hear 😂

We want to drink ice cold, clear water from Alpine streams. But the truth is, most of us splash around in a pretty muddy mire. Polluted by pride, guilt, self pity, loathing and a billion other contaminants that form like cataracts over our eyes and conceal the truth from us.

What is the truth? It’s who we truly are. It’s where we are meant to be heading in our lives. It’s that little voice inside of us screaming to heard above the vacuous words we spout every day that make us inwardly cringe and hates ourselves all the more. It is blindingly obvious yet we are so obviously blind to it. The truth will set you free. But we see the truth as confining, restrictive and conforming. We seek something else.

The blackness is all around us. It whispers in our ears. It comforts and seduces us. It tells us what we want to hear. It is a reassuring arm around the shoulder, that warm hug after a long day of rejection and failure. While the truth hurts, its lies soothe and console. And before you know it that blackness has taken up residency in your heart. It is your best friend. Yet it wants nothing more than your complete destruction.

We are all a work in progress. An unfinished masterpiece. We strive to be good people but find it so hard to expel the darkness from our lives. We live somewhere in between. Mix black and white and what do you get? Grey. Grey is indecision and confusion. It is ‘maybe’ and ‘I don’t know’ and ‘there’s always tomorrow.’ It is limbo and it is exactly where most of us are to some extent.

The Devil doesn’t wear Prada. He doesn’t have all the best tunes. They call him the Prince of Darkness but his favourite colour is grey. He knows he’s not going to turn you into the next Charles Manson or Adolf Hitler. His is a defensive war. He craves the status quo. He wants nothing more than nothingness. He wants you to drift through life in the most nondescript fashion possible. No plans, no decisions and no impact.

Seventy odd years on the planet without having even made the slightest dent. Then straight into his welcoming arms. He is a grey god. I turn my back on that. We fear and avoid the darkness but that’s not where he wants us. He wants us to exist in the murky half light of under achievement where all hope and ambition has been beaten out of us. He doesn’t want serial killers or corrupt politicians. That’s waaaaay to easy.

He wants mediocrity. He wants an army of sleepwalkers marching through the gloom to their drab destinies. He wants tired, lethargic hearts and minds. He wants to numb your very soul. He wants inaction and meh. He is the meh-vil and we are his target.

Let me tell you something. It might shock a few but here goes anyway. You’re never going to be perfect. You’re never going to live in the light on this world anyway. But you can acknowledge it and move towards it. Aspire to be perfect. It’s hard, frustrating work but perspiration leads to inspiration.

Step out of the grey. I know you can. I’m no Christian Grey (thankfully you shudder) but I also don’t want to be a grey Christian. And whatever your beliefs you don’t want to live a grey life. You are better than that. Step out of the murkiness and wear your real clothes with pride. You are technicolour today.

Do you live in the grey? How can you step out of it?

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Published by Fractured Faith Blog

We are Stephen and Fionnuala and this is our story. We live in Northern Ireland, have been married for 15 years and have three kids - Adam, Hannah and Rebecca.
We hope that our story will inspire and encourage others. We have walked a rocky road yet here we are today, together and stronger than ever. We are far from perfect and our faith has been battered and bruised.
But an untested faith is a pointless faith. Just as a fractured faith is better than none at all.
We hope you enjoy the blog.
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49 thoughts on “The Devil Wears Grey”

Great word!! And spoken at a great time. My husband and I are at a crossroads. Do we take the easy path or the right path? I think life is full of these defining moments, as they really do define us and our passion for God.

Yes!!! I love the depth of this post and how you explore a truth many do not always want to focus on. It’s easy for us to think we will never fully reach the holy path. But the truth is with Christ, we can. He can purify us from the inside out. But the effort and desire have to come from us.

Oh my !!!
I don’t know where to start…
I have been stuck in a black and white way of seeing things for years. Where I was the “black” side. The opponent. But I was like that not out of personal convictions. It was a reaction against what I feel like an obligation. My mother is a very observant catholic and I felt a rebellious feeling against her imposing me her way of thinking. But that rebel was not me either. I found what I truly think and feel, when I got free from both adhering and rebelling .

😩 I wrote a long comment and lost it… grrr phone!
Anyway… the main idea in there was that after years of being the black side of a black and white thinking, I found my own path and serenity when I could freely explore the world of my inner spirituality. Yes, ALL the answers are inside us. The only work (and the hardest) to accomplish, is the one that starts inside ourselves.
But… wow… you said that so perfectly! So precisely and in such a straightforward and clear way! … 👍👍👍

What came to me as I read this post is that part of why I write every day is to be able to remain in the darkness of my mind or imagination for seconds or minutes at a time, and while I am there, I feel capable of taking creative risks. Your piece has helped me think, or try to at least. Thanks.

The light of Christ shines into the darkness (John 1:4), yet so many fear the light for what it will reveal. They then take the comfort of the darkness (the grey you so well described), blinding themselves to the awful nature of that darkness. Please keep spreading the light, Brother, the world desperately needs it!
Chuck

Even Jesus had those grey moments. And so did the Buddha. John the Baptist and the asceticism or sharing meals with those on the edges? Walking emaciated through life or taking a middle road. It takes courage to step out. But it’s worthwhile.

I have reread the comment that I left above about this post and I realize that my interpretation of darkness is completely different than yours. So sorry about that. I wasn’t trying to cause any trouble.

I used to live in the grey, gray world you describe. I have, thankfully, and with God’s help, moved out into the light. Christian? No, but my spirit soars with God and I do love my life, even the parts I shouldn’t. Pam Grout “Thank and Grow Rich” and Neale Donald Walsh “Conversations with God” have had a long and lasting impact on my life – God brought them to me and I have made use of that.
Enjoy your day, this week, year, and the rest of your life.
Namaste,
Scott

Amazing, and sooo true! It’s much harder to resist the grey than it is the obvious black or evil. It’s much easier to be complacent or to ignore another in need. Thanks for sharing this. A powerful reminder!😊